Help to our fellow-countrymen: battalion Cherkasy

Financially, morally, with food, warm clothes or medicines – you can help the army in many different ways. Nobody stands aloof, and Yuria-Pharm, as a socially responsible company, has also been actively participating in this matter. One of its sponsored units is battalion Cherkasy. Dmytro Fomitskyi, manager of the procurement department and coordinator of charities relating to provision of the battalion, tells how Corporation supports our soldiers.

– How did it all begin? How did you come up with the idea of helping soldiers? Whose initiative was it?

– It’s difficult to name a specific person who started it. In general, it was our entire Company, since without its desire charitable assistance would be impossible. We focused on the guys from battalion Cherkasy as they are our fellow-countrymen. I knew that they regularly receive help from Charitable Foundation (CF) Zvenyhorod Volunteer Movement “With Ukraine in the Heart” because my father-in-law, Valerii Karpachov, was one of its volunteers. I have also been well acquainted with the head of the Foundation – Victor Mykolaiovych Tkachenko was one of the first who delivered aid to soldiers in the ATO area in August 2014. He teamed up like-minded people, experienced volunteers, combatants who for a year and a half of war drove the entire front line from Mariupol to Stanytsia Luhanska. They knew exactly what soldiers needed. And I thought that we could join these efforts should an opportunity arise. Soon such opportunity presented itself: in December 2014, I found out about our new product REVUL. This product is designed to control bleeding of varying intensity, including when major venous and arterial vessels are damaged, which makes it a very relevant product on the front in particular. At that time, the situation in the ATO area was difficult (there were many injured) and we had the possibility to deliver this much-needed product not through third parties, but directly to our soldiers with the help of volunteers. A thought flashed through my mind: “Now we’ll have enough time to take our guys from the front line to medical station, and may even save someone’s life.” Together with volunteers, we wrote a letter to Yuria-Pharm LLC about the possibility to provide  volunteer soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the front line with REVUL.

– How soon a life-saving product got to the soldiers on the front line?

– On May 22nd, there was a transfer of 100 packages of the product to the Charitable Foundation. Viktor Tkachenko on his Facebook page expressed his gratitude to Director General of the Corporation, developers of REVUL and all Yuria-Pharm team. During one of the conversations, Viktor Mykolaiovych asked me to whom exactly on the front should we deliver these drugs, and I said: “Deliver them to our guys.” Then, there were battalions of volunteers who were not subordinated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they had no provision, so volunteers knew who needs help in the first place. A month later, the product was delivered to the 14th battalion where the majority of guys come from the region of Cherkasy.

– What was the soldiers’reaction to such help?

– Victor Mykolaiovych told me that when he just called the guys with the news that Yuria-Pharm wants to help, as they say, to become a sponsor, they were very happy! Since from the very beginning of the ATO they provided themselves with medicines practically by their own efforts. Having clarified the list of products which our Corporation can provide as a charitable aid, the head of medical service was moved, he did not expect that, as the funds needed for this are far beyond their possibilities.

In general, from communication with volunteers and soldiers on the front, I know how much hope good news from the rear bring them, although usually you don’t get a lot of words in response simply because it is hard to expresssuch joy…

 – So, Yuria-Pharm became a sponsor of the battalion. How was it realized in the future?

– In August, I received a call with a request to provide information about battalion Cherkasy and its contacts. At that time, I was also negotiating the provision of aid with 128 th brigade, namely with its head of medical service and brigade commander. So, I gave all necessary data. Then, Oleksandra Storozhuk joined the matter: “We would like to help the battalion Cherkasy. What do our guys need?”. I suggested reliable volunteers who provide soldiers across the front line by delivering them aid personally, without third parties. We agreed with Oleksandra that I will coordinate charitable matters related to the provision of the battalion. I’m very grateful for this trust, because all the guys on the front line are ours, dear to our hearts. The first aid provided by Yuria-Pharm was worth 10 thousand hryvnias. I was informed of the fact of its receipt by Victor Mykolaiovych who was on the front lineat that time. In September, the Corporation also helped financially (5 thousand hryvnias) and by the purchase of medicines according to the needs of soldiers. Currently, cooperation continues. In particular, volunteers and Yuria-Pharm are in the process of entering into contract for provision of the company’s own medicines.

– When volunteers last visited the soldiers on the front line?

– Another regular trip to the ATO area took place on October 20-22. In total, we drove 2058 kilometres. We started fromKakhovka in the region of Kherson where we handed a parcel to our fellow-countryman Serhiy Pohorilyi (village of Kobrynove). Then we visited Mariupol and villages of Granite, Starohnativka, Novotroitske. This is where the front line of defence lies (300 meters to the enemy checkpoint), where our guys stand. We have also visited Volnovakha where we delivered medicines purchased for funds allocated by Yuria-Pharm to the head of medical service of the 14th battalion (now a part of 72nd brigade). Then we went to Marianka and Kurakhove where we met with cossacks from Zvenyhorodka. According to volunteer Valerii Karpachov, wherever they went, they treated guys from checkpoints with sweets and cigarettes whenever possible, and those were very happy to see a fellow-countrymen who brought a piece of warmth and comfort from home. Ihor Demidov, head of medical service, expressed his personal gratitude to Yuria-Pharm and added: “Now I am the most well-off medical professional in the 72nd brigade.” This man had tears in his eyes, as on October 20th, during fire by separatists near the village of Starohnativka, there was one cargo-200, a 56 years old, and one cargo-300, still very young… So help to soldiers is simply priceless!